After a year of near-deals, phantom investors and the specter of bankruptcy, Devils chairman Jeff Vanderbeek struck an official agreement this week making him sole owner of the NHL franchise.

In an announcement Thursday, Vanderbeek, who has had a stake in the Devils since 2000, said he had refinanced the team’s debt, with CIT Group the lead arranger, ending a year of speculation about the Devils and the Prudential Center, where the team plays. The news bodes well for fans as well as for Newark, which has seen a development boom around the downtown arena.

“Today’s announcement is good news for Devils fans, though I fully recognize (their) frustration with the work stoppage,” Vanderbeek said, referring to the lockout that has wiped out the NHL season to this point. “Our future is now secure and we can be confident of continued on-ice success.”

Vanderbeek did not provide details, but officials with knowledge of the deal said it was settled within the past week and as of now does not include investment from outside sources. Vanderbeek was able to craft new terms with the banks and with the NHL, to whom he collectively owed about $178 million.

That debt has reportedly been reduced somewhat, but the total amount outstanding was not disclosed Thursday.

Since the team missed payment on an $80 million loan this summer, speculation has mounted about deals with angel investors, relocation and even bankruptcy.

The officials who spoke Thursday said the Devils have no plans to move anytime soon and bankruptcy is off the table for the time being. They requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on behalf of the team.

While the long-sought deal is good for Vanderbeek in the short term, it brings with it a certain amount of peril as the NHL’s prospects of a 2012-13 season grow dimmer by the day.

“The league is not in terrific shape. I don’t think it’s being managed properly from the top,” said Andrew Zimbalist, a sports economist at Smith College. “I’m not sure that it’s beneficial to (Vanderbeek) to be the sole owner without having partners.”

Vanderbeek’s longtime partners, Brick City LLC, will withdraw from the team. The company, run by Michael Gilfillan and associated with New Jersey-based philanthropist Ray Chambers, has long sought a graceful exit from the Devils’ financial troubles.

“Brick City’s involvement with the Devils was to make professional sports a catalyst for economic development in downtown Newark, along with staging events for concerts and family shows, and to complement performances in the nearby New Jersey Performing Arts Center,” Gilfillan said in a statement, adding, “We have accomplished that goal, with Jeff as our partner.”

Chambers and Gilfillan joined with Vanderbeek and then-Mayor Sharpe James to build the Prudential Center in 2005 — the anchor of an economic development boom in downtown Newark. But with the arena completed in 2007, it was rumored that Chambers tired of the day-to-day costs of running an NHL hockey team.

Forbes magazine posted the Devils’ total worth last year at $205 million with $122 million in revenue. It is unclear if any money changed hands between Vanderbeek and Chambers, but both sides confirmed Brick City is out of the Devils business for good.

Despite a heated conflict with Mayor Cory Booker over revenue sharing, this season’s lockout and the exit of the Nets, who shared the arena for two seasons before leaving for Brooklyn’s Barclays Center this fall, the Prudential Center has been a success in Newark, hosting marquee events such as the NCAA men’s regional basketball finals and two Rolling Stones concerts.

The Devils boosted their own prospects last year with an unlikely run to the Stanley Cup finals that brought an extra $32.3 million in revenue to the team.

Still, the arena has struggled to make a profit. Hockey only accounts for a portion of franchise revenues and with new competition for concerts opening up in the Barclays Center, the Prudential Center could stand to lose valuable market share.